Getting to goal

What are you best tips for getting to goal?

I have been bouncing up and down the same 3-4 lbs for 2 1/2 months. I really just want to get down to my goal. My original goal was 160, getting to 157 would mean 157 lbs lost and being half my size so it would be cool to do that. 160 puts me at the top end of a healthy BMI so I think it is a pretty reasonable weight for my 5'7" and a bit frame. I would love to be a size 2 but that's maybe not the big picture here.

I have been slacking a bit in the exercide department. I recently went into a shift rotation at work which means week-to-week I am on different shifts and my normal evening workout schedule has been out of whack. The last 3 weeks I have been able to work out in the morning, but this week I am on early mornings and have been too tired in the evenings to work out. I typically work out hard 4-5 days a week, but have been slacking and getting in 2-3 x/week which is not enough. I'm also getting a bit bored with my DVDs at home and have been thinking about joining a gym.

I haven't been tracking my food, so that's got to start again. I have always focused on protein first and the first 6 months I was diligent about eating low carb but over the last 6 months I haven't really paid attention to calories. Is there an overall count to aim for? Total calories or carbs?

Tracking your food would definitely be a good idea. I find I have to revise my count as the day goes on and I have something not on my menu. It is amazing how the calories add up. Basically calories in and calories out. I get that shift work can play havoc with your sleep and energy. So exercise when you can. You will find how many calories you can tolerate without gaining.

Good luck

I got to my original goal of 135 at just over a year out. I was 10 pounds from that at 9 months out, and bounced up and down for awhile as well. I increased and changed my exercise and started logging regularly on MyFitnessPal, and I got to goal.

Then i decided I wanted to see 100 pounds lost (four more pounds) from surgery lost. That took another four months. I started running seriously, and upped my protein to over 100 grams daily. Now, at 2.5 years out, I bounce the usual 4 pounds every month. But i'm happy where I am, so that's good with me. I still try to get over 100 grams of protein daily, and my calories are set for 1,200 a day. I sometimes go over and sometimes I go under. I don't count any calories that I burn through exercise towards extra food intake. This works for me. I know others who do. But this is why i'm ok with going over...because I do exercise a lot.

Exercise will really make that change for you. My work schedule doesn't change, but my life schedule does. For my runs, I have woken up at 5 a.m. to get it in, if it's not going to work at any other time. Lots of people think i'm crazy, and I just think i'm motivated as I continue to reach my new goal of completing a marathon :-)

Good luck!

Northern Star...you can do it! Your were such a help as my surgery angel. Are you on myfitnesspal? If so friend me and we will track food together! I am halfway to goal of 160 too and we need all the help we can get on this journey!